In The Trenches

In The Trenches

By Tom Morkes | business, marketing, writing, and publishingBusinessEntrepreneurshipMarketing
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In The Trenches episodes

  • ITT 082: Building a Location-Independent Business with Danny Flood

    Danny Flood is the founder of Open World Magazine and the author of multiple books, including Buy Your Own Island . He is also the host of the OpenWorld podcast. Danny has started three separate location-independent businesses that he successfully ran remotely from various corners of the globe.

    In this broadcast, Danny Flood and I talk about:

    • His life as a nomadic minimalist.
  • His travels around the world and how he came to live in Bangkok.
  • How Danny went from running his own successful digital advertising agency to starting Open World Magazine.
  • How his book Buy Your Own Island helps people face their fears and set their dream goals.
  • Danny tells us how he knew he needed world experience to be a successful writer and how he has gotten that experience.
  • He explains how being on multiple platforms has helped him find his 1000 True Fans .
  • Danny talks about his choice to use a subscription based model to fund the magazine.
  • He discusses with us his goals for the year and how he plans to achieve those goals while traveling and living abroad.

    • How to find Danny Flood online:

    • Website: openworldmag.com
  • Audiobook of Buy Your Own Island
  • Twitter: @dandanflood

    • If you enjoyed today’s podcast, please leave a review on iTunes here. Thanks so much in advance for your support.

    The post ITT 082: Building a Location-Independent Business with Danny Flood appeared first on Tom Morkes.

    24 min
  • ITT 081: How to Rapidly Qualify Lucrative Clients with Kurt Elster

    Kurt Elster is the founder of Ethercycle. He has an MBA as a Senior E-commerce Consultant who helps Shopify owners uncover hidden profits in their website.  Kurt got his start in business as a product manager for a company that drop shipped car parts, however he knew he wanted to be in business for himself.  He started his own agency that offered a broad range of services before niching down and driving his income up.

    In this broadcast, Kurt Elster and I talk about:

    • How he made the decision to niche down and only work on Shopify websites.
  • Why it is it that The smaller the niche, the smaller the audience, the easier it is to sell, the more you look like an expert .
  • How niching down can radically increase the effectiveness of your marketing.
  • His choice to do the work that gives joy.
  • The value of word of mouth and getting the most out of that by, first, giving people the best possible experience, and second, doing everything you can to keep yourself top of mind.
  • Remembering that everything comes down to relationships. Your website should reflect that.
  • How he qualifies clients based on the size of their team.
  • How Kurt uses tools like Clarity Calls to decide which clients would be a good fit.

    • How to find Kurt Elster online:

    • Website: www.kurtelster.com
  • Podcast: www.unofficialshopifypodcast.com
  • Video Course: www.ecommerce-bootcamp.com (use the code TRENCHES for  a 25% discount)
  • Twitter: @kurtinc

    • If you enjoyed today’s podcast, please leave a review on iTunes here. Thanks so much in advance for your support.

    The post ITT 081: How to Rapidly Qualify Lucrative Clients with Kurt Elster appeared first on Tom Morkes.

    28 min
  • ITT 080: How to Put Your Audience First with Jane Portman

    Jane Portman is the founder of uibreakfast.com. She is the author of The UI Audit and has developed a course with the same name for SaaS Founders, developers and UI/UX designers and consultants.  She started doing design work in high school, came up through the agency system, and then after having children, started doing consulting.

    In this broadcast, Jane Portman and I talk about:

    • What makes good user interface
  • The best ways to choose colors and fonts, as well as the benefits of templates
  • The advantages of creating products based on audience research
  • How she has been able to reach her target consumers
  • The process of setting prices and knowing whether to offer a book or a course
  • The process of moving from consultation to information product production
  • The importance of focusing on your audience, coming up with simple solutions to one of their problems

    • How to find Jane Portman online:

    • Website: uibreakfast.com
  • Twitter: @uibreakfast

    • If you enjoyed today’s podcast, please leave a review on iTunes here. Thanks so much in advance for your support.

    The post ITT 080: How to Put Your Audience First with Jane Portman appeared first on Tom Morkes.

    26 min
  • ITT 079: How to Scale Your Agency with Brian Cristiano

    Brian Cristiano is the founder of BOLD Worldwide . His love of video and production helped moved him into advertising. Through BOLD, he has been able to help brands or teams connect with fitness, sports, and outdoor consumers.

    In this broadcast, Brian Cristiano and I talk about:

    • How he has been able to leverage content to create engagement.
  • How he has been able to pitch to big name companies using old school business development techniques.
  • Growing a team, using freelancers to remain flexible, how to know when to transition work from contractors to full time staff members, as well as how to determine who your early key hires should be.
  • The benefits of moving away from a project based revenue model toward a consistently repeating revenue model.
  • The importance of asking potential clients pre-qualifying questions about budgets and expectations.
  • Brian s weekly podcast called Out of Scope where he talks about sports, business, and marketing.

    • How to find Brian Cristiano online:

    • Website: Boldworldwide.com, BrianCristiano.com
  • Twitter: @brian_cristiano

    • If you enjoyed today’s podcast, please leave a review on iTunes here. Thanks so much in advance for your support.

    The post ITT 079: How to Scale Your Agency with Brian Cristiano appeared first on Tom Morkes.

    29 min
  • ITT 078: How to Create Your Content Strategy with Rob Wormley

    Rob Wormley is a content marketer and author. Over the past seven years, he has developed digital marketing strategies and content for best-selling authors, Hall of Fame speakers, and businesses all across the country. He currently works as the Head of Content Marketing for When I Work.

    In this broadcast, Rob Wormley and I talk about:

    • How Rob s background in journalism has helped him become a successful content marketer.
  • What WhenIWork.com is and how Rob creates content for small businesses.
  • Why Rob only develops online content strategies quarterly.
  • How Rob uses content creation as a tool to test strategies in real time.
  • How Rob measures the success of the content that is created.
  • How to develop high quality, actionable content and why it is the most effective marketing strategy.
  • Why he does not create content that he can not promote.
  • Why he thinks email out-reach is still effective.
  • Rob s advice for being authentic, generating leads, and scaling over time.

    • How to find Rob Wormley online:

    • Website: http://robwormley.com/
  • Twitter: @RobWormley

    • Resources:

    If you enjoyed today’s podcast, please leave a review on iTunes here. Thanks so much in advance for your support.

    The post ITT 078: How to Create Your Content Strategy with Rob Wormley appeared first on Tom Morkes.

    22 min
  • ITT 077: How to Get Paid to Speak with Grant Baldwin

    Grant Baldwin is a professional speaker, the founder of The Speaker Lab, and creator of Booked and Paid to Speak. Grant started his speaking career as a youth pastor, but eventually moved on because he felt compelled to try something else. After several months trying to figure out his next steps, Grant decided to try his hand as a professional speaker. He’s since spoken at hundreds of events and to tens of thousands of attendees. He now also helps others with their speaking careers through The Speaker Lab.

    In this broadcast, Grant Baldwin and I talk about:

    • Grant’s background in youth ministry and his love of speaking.
  • The differences between talking in front of large audiences vs. small audiences.
  • How to find the balance between what you want to speak about and what people will pay you to speak about.
  • Multiple ways to earn an income from speaking.
  • Several ways to find speaking engagements even if you’re just starting out.
  • How speaking can lead to more book sales (for the authors in the audience).
  • Grant s advice to potential speakers help become an excellent speaker.

    • How to find Grant Baldwin online:

    • Website: www.thespeakerlab.com
  • Twitter: @grantbaldwin
    • IMPORTANT UPDATE: I was able to get Grant to commit to a new, live training workshop on exactly how to get booked and paid to speak, with a full Q and A at the end. Register to attend here: grantbaldwin.com/tom-workshop

    If you enjoyed today’s podcast, please leave a review on iTunes here. Thanks so much in advance for your support.

    The post ITT 077: How to Get Paid to Speak with Grant Baldwin appeared first on Tom Morkes.

    29 min
  • ITT 076: How to Build a 6-Figure Magazine with Nathan Chan

    Nathan Chan is the founder and CEO of Foundr digital magazine. Wanting to personally discover the answers to all his questions about the daily struggles of starting a successful business, Nathan began to interview world-changing entrepreneurs in the hope that he could learn from them. He started Foundr while working a full time job, but the rapid success of the digital magazine led Nathan to quit his day job and double down on Foundr.

    In this broadcast, Nathan Chan and I talk about:

    • His background before beginning the magazine.
  • Why he choose to create a digital magazine.
  • The 3 ways he knew it was time to give up his day joy to work on the magazine full time.
  • How he was able to find his feet after transitioning from part time to full time in the magazine.
  • How he realized the importance of building the Foundr brand.
  • The Goal Pyramid process to decide what to focus on at any given time.
  • How Nathan built the Foundr  team and his insight in hiring people that are a good fit.
  • His advice for those who want to be successful in publishing.
  • How Foundr has been able to secure so many top name interviews.

    • How to find Nathan Chan online:

    • Website: http://foundrmag.com
  • Twitter: @NathanHChan

    • If you enjoyed today’s podcast, please leave a review on iTunes here. Thanks so much in advance for your support.

    The post ITT 076: How to Build a 6-Figure Magazine with Nathan Chan appeared first on Tom Morkes.

    44 min
  • ITT 075: How to Use Exposure to Build Your E-mail List with Cloris Kylie

    Cloris Kylie is a performance coach and branding expert. She always had the heart of an entrepreneur, but didn t always follow that. With a background in engineering, marketing and management, Cloris has developed coaching and training programs in lead generation, personal branding, communications, public speaking, social media platforms, digital marketing, and career development.

    In this broadcast, Cloris and I talk about:

    • How she began a business helping students with preparing for the ACT and SAT
  • How she began expanding her business to include helping those in graduate school; then to help people in a job search; and then to help authors, coaches, and entrepreneurs
  • How she finds fulfillment by helping people one-on-one
  • How she persevered to line up opportunities to be on various TV and radio shows
  • How to leverage another person s platform to grow your list
  • Major takeaways from pitching to TV and radio shows:
    • Don t just approach as pitching your book/product
  • Connect your message with current events
  • Match your findings to the shows and their audiences
  • Provide talking points for show producers
  • How to use your exposure on TV to build your list
  • How to utilize a free-mium offer to build your list
  • How to use an “indoctrination series” and “engagement series”
  • How to use the right questions to figure out what to create and sell
  • How to avoid spending time and energy on things that people don’t want
  • The “3 Ps” (plus a bonus “p”)
    • Partners
  • Produce
  • Promote
  • Patience

    • Cloris Kylie on the best way to differentiate yourself:

    “Just by being you, you’re being different…I’m doing with my own story and experience.”

    How to find Cloris Kylie online:

    • Website: http://www.cloriskylie.com/
  • Twitter: @cloriskylie

    • If you enjoyed today’s podcast, please leave a review on iTunes here. Thanks so much in advance for your support.

    The post ITT 075: How to Use Exposure to Build Your E-mail List with Cloris Kylie appeared first on Tom Morkes.

    27 min
  • ITT 074: How to Build a Platform-based Business with Sangeet Paul Chaudary

    Sangeet Paul Choudary is the Founder and CEO of Platform Thinking Labs, and the author the the number 1 bestseller “Platform Scale.” Sangeet is also the co-chair of the MIT Platform Strategy Group at MIT Media Labs, Boston, a Global Fellow at the Centre for Global Enterprisein New York, a speaker at the G20 Summit 2014 in Brisbane and an advisor at 500Startups in Silicon Valley. At the G20 World Summit 2014, Sangeet was hailed as a forefront researcher into how businesses can better use metadata and current technology. He has advised C-level executives globally on platform and network strategies, has been featured on leading media globally and has lectured at the world s leading universities.

    In this broadcast, Sangeet and I talk about:

    • Traditional business models vs. supply based business models vs. the modern business model
  • Which part of a new business should work traditionally and which part should work like a platform?
  • Two ways to think about about platform building, whether you’re starting from scratch or already have a customer base]
  • Why platforms are important and how to approach creating them
  • How to build it
    1. by yourself
  • leverage another platform (the downside: the core value of a platform is data, and if you leverage another platform, you don’t get the core value)

    • Sangeet on building a portfolio business:

    “Moonshots always work in a portfolio business model – try 10 things and 1 will work out.”

    How to find Sangeet Paul Choudary online:

    • Platform Scale on Amazon
  • Platform Tinking

    • If you enjoyed today’s podcast, please leave a review on iTunes here. Thanks so much in advance for your support.

    The post ITT 074: How to Build a Platform-based Business with Sangeet Paul Chaudary appeared first on Tom Morkes.

    36 min
  • ITT 073: How to Grow a Successful Business on the Side with Brennan Dunn

    Brennan Dunn is the author of “Double Your Freelancing Rate.” He’s a freelancer, author, blogger, podcaster and software developer. He’s been in and around the world of freelancing for around 7 years, starting with a side business and growing it into a successful agency.

    In this broadcast, Brennan Dunn and I talk about:

    • How he was able to build a successful high-revenue agency
  • How he would do things differently now if he were to build an agency including:
    1. Moving away from a one-and-out project model toward a recurring projectized model
  • Streamlining products and projects
  • Not trying to build a brick and mortar company
  • Brennan explains how high end freelance work can be projectized when you have multiple clients who need the same service (revenues can be gained through licensing and offering clients on-going value)
  • We discuss some of Brennan s tips for pricing and contract creation, such as:
    1. Remembering that clients spend money on solutions not your technical functions
  • They are not paying you for what you do, rather they are paying you for what you do for them
  • Helping clients find solutions to their actual problems helps you become a partner with them (and allows you to build a platform to sell high-end solutions)
  • Brennan gives us his insights on how and why we should work on generating leads with people who may not actually be our clients by:
    1. Increasing the number of people who receive value from us
  • Keeping those people close
  • Asking for introductions and consistently following-up
  • Continuing to add value to those people who are likely to give a referral
  • We hear Brennan s tips for growing an agency team including:
    1. Don t hire around big projects, rather hire based on the companies profitability
  • Start by working with subcontractors
  • Hiring should always be strategic

    • How to find Brennan online:

    • Websites: doubleyourfreelancing.com and freepricingcourse.com
  • brennandunn

    • If you enjoyed today’s podcast, please leave a review on iTunes here. Thanks so much in advance for your support.

    The post ITT 073: How to Raise Your Freelancing Rates with Brennan Dunn appeared first on Tom Morkes.

    44 min

About In The Trenches

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In The Trenches with Tom Morkes provides behind-the-scenes look into the life and work of entrepreneurs, writers, artists, warriors, and leaders.